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Aviation History
1954
1954 - 1797.PDF
806 FLIGHT CIVIL AVIATION . . . AMERICAN CIVIL AIR POLICY CIVIL aviation officials in the U.S.A. expressed disapproval recendy of some of the new govern ment proposals to cut airline subsidies and elimi nate uneconomical companies. The proposals were made in a report to the president by the Air Co ordinating Committee, composed of representatives from nine government departments and agencies. President Eisenhower, who ordered the report last year, has said that it will be a guide to future policy concerning civil aviation and to his recommendations to Congress. Observing that civil aviation was now past the "infant" industry stage, the report recommended that subsidies to airlines operating within the United States be reduced as rapidly as possible. For the country's 13 major trunk airlines, it recommended consolidation into a more limited number of systems able to support themselves without federal aid, and went on to state that the public interest could best be served if each form of transport was required to compete with other forms on the basis of inherent service advantages and true economic costs. (Estimated govern ment subsidies to airlines for the 12 months ending on June 30th amount to $81,000,000—approx. £28,900,000.) For the U.S. overseas airlines, however, the report said that the national interest and foreign competition would make con tinued subsidies necessary for a long time to come. Authority to operate cut-rate, non-scheduled services, it suggested, should be granted only in limited and exceptional circumstances—a pro posal widely welcomed by the major scheduled lines. • Decidedly unwelcome, however, for the airlines, is the proposal to consider charging for the use of airways and routes (within the U.S.) where navigational and traffic aids are provided. Imple mentation of the report's recommendations, if approved by Con gress, it is estimated, will take between 5 and 10 years. U.K. AIRPORT ACTIVITIES IN APRIL AIR-TRANSPORT movements at British airports during the • month of April numbered 17,200, an increase of 9 per cent over April 1953. The total of passengers handled increased by 17 per cent to 311,000, and the amount of freight on- and off loaded increased by 8 per cent to 5,100 short tons. Post Office mail handled during the month amounted to 1,240 short tons, a slight increase over the previous April's figures. London and Northholt Airports together handled a total of 172,900 passengers, 11 per cent more than in April 1953. At London Airport the numbers of aircraft movements and pas sengers handled were 4,620 and 129,700 respectively, increases of 41 and 45 per cent. The continued transfer of traffic from LITTLE DOUGLAS: No birth of a DC-6B this, but a scale model being loaded onto a DC-6A of Pan American at London Airport recently. It was destined for the Frankfurt Industrial Fair. Northolt to London Airport was indicated by the decrease of activity at the former airport, aircraft movements declining by 35 per cent to 2,190 and the number of passengers handled, also by 35 per cent, to 43,200. Apart from Northolt, most other airports showed an increase in passenger traffic. Typical figures, with the increase over those for last April in parenthesis, are:—Glasgow-Renfrew, 20,000 (22 per cent); Manchester-Ringway, 17,500 (34 per cent); Belfast- Nutts Corner, 13,900 (16 per cent); Birmingham-Elmdon, 6,800 (78 per cent); Stansted, 5,500 (93 per cent); and Edinburgh- Turnhouse, 4,300 (25 per cent). STILL MORE VISCOUNTS AN order for an undisclosed number of Viscounts is reported L to have been placed by Mr. A. Burier, managing director of the Australian inter-state airline which bears his name. Mr. Butler recently paid a brief visit to this country for discussions with the makers, and to fly in a Viscount. No details have yet been released concerning the type or number of Viscounts in volved. The possible adoption of Viscounts by Butler Air Transport is interesting in view of the reported order of Ansett Airways for Convair 340s, one of which has been purchased to date. BREVITIES AN unofficial record between Zurich and London was set up on **• June 6th by a B.E.A. Viscount which, under the command of Capt. N. Graham, completed the route in 1 hr 43 min. Scheduled time for this service is 2 hr 15 min. * * * One of the DC-4s operated by Scandinavian Airlines System, OF-DFY Sigvard Viking, has been sold to the President of Colombia. Before delivery it was converted to a luxurious 16- seater by the airline's engineering staff in Copenhagen. * * * British European Airways have corrected an apparent impres sion that a sole selling agency has been granted for the Corpora tion's Viking aircraft and spares, by stating that the airline is "selling freely to all comers." * * * Belfast (Nutts Corner) Aerodrome Fire Service has been de clared the 1953 winner of the Civil Aviation Aerodrome Fire Service Efficiency competition. The trophy was presented by Mr. John Profumo, M.P., to the winners at Nutts Corner on June 8th. * * * It is announced that Mr. R. G. (Ben) Cochrane, previously U.K. and Europe representative for British Commonwealth Pacific Airlines, is to take up an appointment in the same capacity with Trans Australia Airlines on June 20th. * * * The total value of international airline traffic transactions handled by the I.A.T.A. Clearing House during the first quarter of this year was $56,311,000, an increase of almost 12 per cent over that for the same period in 1953. Recent admissions to membership of the Clearing House include those of Airwork, Air Vietnam, Japanese Air Lines, J.A.T., and Malayan Airways. Mr. C. Fitzgerald, of the Aer Lingus purchasing office, has recently been appointed chief buyer to Aer Lingus and Aer Rianta. Mr. Fitzgerald joined Aer Lingus accounts department in 1943, and was appointed supplies representative for both Aer Lingus and Aer Rianta in the United States in 1948. * * * Statements that the Brazilian carrier Aerovias had ordered a number of Hercules-powered Nord 2501 Noratlas twin-boom transports are now confirmed, although the size of the order is not yet known. One authoritative source states that the number of aircraft will be between ten and 20, depending on details of a barter transaction still under discussion. Of 130 military Nord 2501s ordered by the Armee de l'Air, 30 have flown to date. * * * The third Sikorsky S-51 to be purchased by R.M. Overseas Motor Sales, of Frankfurt-Main, was collected from B.E.A. last week by the company's senior pilot, Mr. R. Crewdson, prior to being flown back to Germany. It is G-AJOV, and is to join the R.M. company's two other S-51s on advertising and charter work in Germany. Autair, Ltd., of London, the British associate com pany, hope to establish a helicopter training school in this country in the near future. * * * "Scandinavianization" in staff policy is gradually being imple mented by the board of Scandinavian Airlines System. In accord ance with this trend, the airline recently came to "a mutually satisfactory arrangement" with Mr. Dennis Handover (regional director of S.A.S. for the U.K. and Eire and a director of the British company, Scandinavian Airlines System, Ltd.) by which he relinquished these appointments on May 31st last. Mr. Hand over has been regional director for S.A.S. and a predecessor company for about eight years; he was previously air adviser to British Railways and traffic director of B.O.A.C.
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